Ani Ain't All That
by Aristocrat Writer
Summary: Two superhuman Star Wars fans are transported into the world of Episode III after viewing the film, blackmailing their way into the lives of Anakin and Padme. While one of the teens delights in watching Anakin's behavior toward him, the other falls in love with a pregnant Padme and debates conveying his feelings or risking falling prey to the wrath of Anakin.
1. Chapter 1

In what one would consider the modern day Earth, two high schools students who had known each other their entire lives sat on separate couches, their eyes glued to the television screen. They had been watching the _Star Wars_ prequel trilogy in consecutive order and were presently in the early stages of _Star Wars: Revenge of the SIth_.

"It's like we're the only two people that like the prequels," Justin said.

"Yeah," Gary replied, "other than maybe the people in 'em."

"I can get the dislike, but people really, really don't like these."

"It's hatred."

Gary tapped his fingers.

"Wouldn't it be cool if we could jump in and make it better?" Justin asked him.

"Funny you say that," Gary said with a smirk.

A beam of white enveloped the two teenagers. It was a brief dimming of all things around them save for each other. Justin let loose several drops of sweat and turned to Gary, who stared off into the bright beam with a smirk.

"What's going on?" Justin shouted to Gary.

His best friend since preschool remained silent, the two arriving in a castle like location with various robbed humanoid beings walking a short feet away. Justin looked at Gary, who now had widened eyes and was staring intently at the characters among them. They were standing some twenty feet away from Anakin Skywalker and Bail Organa as the two concluded a conversation and Anakin ran over to a shadowed figure.

"Justin. Something wonderful has happened," Gary said.

"Oh shut it," Justin replied, following this with a brief smirk and then serious look. "How did you get us here?"

"I just pressed down on my hand."

Gary pulled his hand out and pressed against his thumb, the sound around them becoming mute and the actions of the characters speeding up.

"How do you go back?" Justin asked.

"Like this."

Gary pressed against his pinky and they were returned to the previous scenario, that of Anakin running to and hugging a shadowed character. The two gave viewing to the couple, Justin moving to sit on the ground and placing his hand over the side of his head.

"Can we really interact with them?" He asked.

"Yup," Gary said, grabbing his arm.

Justin stood up and the two walked over to Anakin and his not so secret to anyone who saw the film friend. Anakin and his not-wife looked at the two as though bracing themselves and Justin had an increase in his heartbeat, Gary being the only one of the four to not change in his demeanor in preparation of confrontation. When the two ceased walking, Justin and Gary were three inches away from Anakin and his not-wife.

"Can we help you?" Anakin asked.

"WE KNOW YOU TWO ARE MARRIED," Gary shouted.

The looks on Anakin, Padme, and Justin's faces were identical enough to be triplets, widened eyes with agape mouths that soon darted around to see who had heard the scream. Many of the senators turned to view the four, and Gary caught a brief glimpse of Anakin's grimace.

"WE KNOW YOU TWO ARE MARRIED TO YOUR INDEPENDENT CAREERS AS SENATOR AND JEDI."

The second shout served to visibly annoy those present, but not enough to warrant anyone walking over and ripping out whatever part of Gary allowed him to shriek so voluminous.

"Explainer-in-chief," Justin said as he side-eyed Gary, who smirked.

"I couldn't let them lose their jobs," Gary told him. "That's the story's job."

Padme placed her hands to her face and breathed a heavy sigh.

"I have so many questions," she said, giving Justin a brief glimpse before setting her sight on Gary. "How did you know about us?"

"I hail from a long lost tribe of Amidalas," Gary declared.

"Your friend is a funny man," Anakin said to Justin, turning his eyes to Gary. "The problem is he knows too much."

"I'm about as privy," Justin told him. "We're both very familiar with your backgrounds. You should totally hang out with us, and then the chances of us saying anything about your relationship lower to one percent."

Anakin stepped closer to Justin, placing his hand by his lightsaber.

"They could be zero if two lives were lost," He said.

"Yeah," Gary told him, "her in this one, and you in three more."

"Don't you dare threaten my wife."

Anakin moved Gary closer with the force.

"Can we use our powers here?" Justin asked, moving to hover in the air. "Guess that answers that question."

He moved back to the ground.

"What are you?" Padme asked.

"We're humans that have powers. There's not much to explain."

"How did you get them? What do you do with them? Are you going to use them against us?"

"I stand corrected."

Gary turned his eyes to Justin and Padme during their back and forth, even as he stood closely to a scowling Anakin.

"Has she told you she's knocked up yet?" Gary asked.

Padme placed her hand by her mouth. Anakin noticed her gesture, and her lack of denying the claim.

"What?" he asked her.

"Ani," Padme said.

"Something wonderful has happened. She's got a bun in the oven," Gary interrupted, looking at Padme. "Get on with it sister. People don't want to read eleven chapters of you trying to get your words out."

"When were you going to tell me?" Anakin asked.

"Right now. That's why I came here."

Anakin stared into her eyes and smirked, breathing heavily for a matter of seconds before looking to the ground and exhaling.

"So now that you've become Daddy Skywalker," Gary said, "maybe we should watch over your wife while you go on all your dangerous missions."

"Why would I trust someone that nearly ratted us out?" Anakin asked.

Justin placed his hands to his sides and walked over right after, Gary giving Anakin a smirk.

"Okay, we might have rushed to show you how much we know," Justin said, "but we really want Padme not to be in danger, ever. And we have the power to do that."

"Yeah," Gary cosigned, "but we will squeal if you say no. Most people will stop reading if you say no. The story can't go on until you say yes."

Anakin placed his lightsaber back in its holding and bawled his fists, staring at both Justin and Gary back-to-back.

"Ani," Padme called out her nickname for him, "I don't want to do this anymore than you do, but they know about it and I'll take their help if it means they won't tell."

Gary extended his hand to Anakin.

"I have this feeling that I'm making a deal with the devil," Anakin said.

"Only a devil of good, Darth," Gary replied.


	2. Chapter 2

Gary led Justin, Anakin, and Padme to a secluded space of Coruscant, surrounding the four with spaces of empty land.

"I still don't understand why we couldn't have just flown here," Justin said.

"Because that would make the story over quicker," Gary told him. "Us flying can be in the deleted scenes."

Gary slowed his steps, as though to shorten the distance between Justin and himself.

"And we would have stood out more flying two people over everybody," Gary said.

Justin nodded his head and stopped walking, Gary noticing and repeating the gesture.

"So right here would be a better place to fly," Justin said.

"Yep," Gary answered, running over to Anakin and grabbing him by the back. "Let's go!"

"Unhand me," Anakin said, pushing Gary to the ground with the force. "I'd rather your friend take me."

"Just to give you an idea of how smart you are, that means you're going to have your pregnant wife get a ride from a guy you wouldn't even subject yourself to."

Anakin stared into his eyes, and Gary persisted in smiling.

"Fair enough," Anakin said, stepping over to him and turning his back.

Gary grabbed him from behind and lifted him into the air. Justin followed suit with Padme.

"So where do you guys live?" Gary asked Anakin.

"We walked past the house a couple of minutes ago," Anakin told him.

"I would think you would have told us."

"That's the kamikaze mindset," Justin interjected. "'I'm going to be pissed at you to such an extent that I have my pregnant wife walk around more than she needs to and waste all of our time.'"

Anakin rolled his eyes, and moved to lead the group back to his home. This walk, somewhere between ten to fifteen minutes, ended with Anakin stopping in front of a building and unveiling a set of keys, which allowed the group inside.

"Seems kind of small for the baby-making room of a senator and Jedi," Gary said.

Justin giggled.

"The immaturity is palpable," Anakin muttered. "I've got some things to take care of so you two can pal around here and not get in my way."

"Come on," Padme said, tugging at his arm. "Haven't you done enough good for today?"

"It's less so about him having duties and more about him wanting to get away from us," Justin told her, eyeing Anakin. The Jedi threw his hands up, nearly smiling.

"You caught me," he said.

"I get the distrust but notice that we've done nothing to you...apart from the blackmail," Justin said.

"That's a pretty big one to get over."

"So is killing younglings but your wife thought you were good after that," Gary whispered with a hint of anger.

"What?" Padme asked, looking at him.

"Nothing."

Anakin took his wife's arm and gave Gary a brief glimpse.

"Excuse us," Anakin said, closing the door behind his wife and himself.

Justin and Gary went over to the table in the front part of the home and sat in chairs next to each other.

"What does she see in him?" Justin asked Gary.

"Don't ask me that like you didn't watch Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones," Gary replied, with a slight laugh.

"She just seems so nice, and he's the reverse of that."

"But she can change him…."

Gary made that comment in a mocking tone, and the two bursted out into laughter. They made small-talk for a few minutes before Anakin came out of the room.

"So about food," Gary told him.

"Feed yourselves," Anakin replied.

"Maybe Padme can do that for me."

Justin looked at Gary.

"Did you just make the outer space equivalent of 'she'll make me a sandwich'?"

Gary nodded his head. While the frowning Anakin stared down Gary, Padme emerged from the other part of the home.

"Just stop trying to fight with them," she told Anakin. "All they've done is say things we don't like. When this whole thing goes beyond words, then you should escalate."

"My thoughts exactly," Justin said. "Why don't we all just eat and sleep it off?"

Padme moved to the kitchen and pulled plates from a cabinet, Justin walking in after her. Gary and Anakin engaged in an unintentional staring contest that only ended when Justin and Padme emerged with plates for the two. After the four finished their meals, Gary arose from his chair and walked over to the front door.

"I'll be back in a few hours," Gary said.

"What about your friend?" Anakin asked, pointing at Justin.

"Leave him be. Someone's gotta stick around to overhear your freak out."

Justin rose from his seat in nanoseconds.

"That's tonight?" He asked Gary, who nodded.

Gary left through the front door and Anakin moved to the single bedroom, closing the door behind him. Padme stood up and followed him, Justin twiddling his thumbs and breathing a sigh.

"Only bad stories leave the boring parts in," he said to himself.

Justin sat in the darkened room alone for an hour before hearing a noise.

"What sounds like heavy breathing and foreshadowing?" Justin asked himself aloud. He opened a window nearby, allowing himself out and into the air via his flying abilities. He floated higher, around ten feet above the building, and saw Anakin standing outside, looking off into the night sky.


	3. Chapter 3

Padme came from her shared home with Anakin and stepped close to him while the couple stood unknowingly below the levitating Justin. The latter watched the pair speak and turned his eyes to see a returning Gary slowly descending into the window that had been left ajar by Justin minutes ago. Justin rushed over to the window, the sound of an engine piercing the sky that was caught in his path, and advanced into the home. Gary was sitting at the table where the four had consumed their meals together and Justin approached him with fragile steps.

"Quit trying to be sneaky," Gary said. "The lovebirds are too busy playing console to hear you."

"Are we at the part where he has the nightmare about her dying in childbirth?" Justin asked.

Gary nodded his head.

"So that means they won't be around each other tomorrow," Justin said.

"Don't be too sure," Gary replied. "We still don't know how our being around is changing things."

"You're right. It'd be great if we could change things for the better though."

Padme and Anakin returned to the inside and the still-awake Justin and Gary sat at the table in near silence in the moments following this, both throwing their heads to the direction of the closed door to Anakin and Padme's room when they heard it open. Anakin revealed himself, and stepped over to the table, the pair's eyes staring intently at him.

"I've got some things to take care of," Anakin said. "And in the last couple of hours, I've realized you're not the biggest thing I have to worry about."

"Bigger fish indeed," Gary muttered with a grin.

"I don't think you'll do anything directly to Padme, but there's something else out there that will."

"So what are you asking us to do?"

"When I'm not around, protect her from whatever that thing might be."

Justin, having remained silent during the exchange, rose from his seat, and extended his hand to Anakin.

"I don't have any problem doing that for you," Justin said.

Anakin gave him a brief smile, moving to the closed door and going through it before shutting it behind himself again.

"I THINK HE'S WARMING UP TO US," Gary said loudly.

"Can you do that thing with your thumb and skip these boring parts?" Justin asked.

Gary pressed down on the thumb of his right hand and Justin stared at him.

"Is that thing malfunctioning? I'm not seeing a difference."

"Don't doubt my thumb. It's just taking some time to show the effects."

The sun rose shortly thereafter, and Gary removed pressure from his thumb.

"They should be waking up in a few minutes," Gary said.

The door then unlocked, Anakin walking out first and Padme following moments afterward. The pair kissed and Anakin gave a brief stare to Justin before departing. Padme turned to look at the two teens while Gary stared at his arm and Justin stood next to him.

"What's the deal with your arm?" Justin asked.

"I think it's broken," Gary said, looking at Padme for a moment while he walked past her. "I better go get it fixed by somebody that fixes things."

Gary closed the door behind him.

"I'm guessing your friend wants to spy on Anakin," Padme said.

"Seems like," Justin replied. "Do you need any help with anything?"

"No."

Padme moved toward her bedroom, leaving the door ajar. Justin stiffly stepped closer to the door.

"I don't think Gary is following him," Justin said, Padme turning to look at him. "I don't know for sure but he might be trying to explore."

She stared at him, Justin turning his back to her and moving to sit at the table.

"How did you know about us?"

Justin paused, staring into her eyes.

"We're not of this world," he said. "We are capable of seeing aspects of your life via invisible cameras that are...placed depending on where higher deities determine them to be."

She looked at him as though to check his sincerity and he stared back at her with a determination that his statements be validated in her mind as much as possible.

"Anakin won't be back until tonight probably," Padme said. "And if your friend doesn't come earlier, that means it's just you and me for the rest of the day."

"Doing what?" Justin asked.

"Talking. Maybe you could tell me more about where you're from."

Padme moved to sit at the table and Justin took a seat next to her.

"First things first," Padme said, "are you really going to reveal my marriage?"

"Probably not," Justin told her, "but Gary might."

"So you're the nicer of the two?"

In seconds, Justin shook his head.

"Gary's one of the nicest people I know. I think he's mainly doing that so you talk to us."

"I would think two nice guys would keep the secret and let us live our lives."

"I'm not a nice guy, and I want to be involved with your lives."

"Why?"

"Because we can save you from what we know will happen if we're not involved."

"You're psychic too?"

"As far as the events of the next few days, yes."


	4. Chapter 4

Gary levitated roughly fifteen inches above a building, staring downward intensely and balling his fists. His hands channeled a yellow aura that soon took on the effects of a yellow. Anakin became visible a short time later, Gary lowering himself to the ground with a slowed pacing, seemingly with a conviction that doing this would not hinder his quest in being completed in a timely manner.

"Anakin," Gary said, running up to the Jedi while the latter stood in place. "What happened?"

"I'm the Chancellor's personal representative on the Jedi Council," Anakin answered.

"When did that happen?"

"Right now."

"So that means the next thing's the Jedi not making you a Master."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Gary ascended into the sky.

"See you at your house."

Gary flew off at an accelerate speed, soaring through the sky loud enough to echo the noises made by the aircrafts depicted in the film. Meanwhile, Justin stood in the doorway of Anakin and Padme's bedroom, concurrent with Padme staring outside her window.

"Do you ever worry about him?" Justin asked, Padme looking over to him. "I'd imagine having a secret marriage would be a hard thing to not be freaked out over."

"All the time," she said. "Do you ever worry about your friend?"

"All the time."

Justin let out a large smile.

"I didn't mean to steal your line," he said. "Gary's one of a select few people I've met that I can trust lowering all my guards around."

"You have a lot of nice things to say about him. Do you ever tell him any of it?"

"No. I'd rather he feel it through when we're together."

Padme stepped away from the window and walked to the kitchen, opening a cabinet. Justin moved to that part of the house a short time later, her having laid out several plates by the time he walked inside. He stared intently at her while she sat down and then looked away.

"Something bothering you?" She asked.

"Really wish Gary was here," Justin told her. "There was something about his fingers that made these filler-type moments go by faster."

"You seem like you're in a hurry."

"Well in movies you have to make every minute count."

"We're not in a movie."

Justin placed his hand to his mouth, concealing a smirk that would only visually disagreement with her last comment. There was then a knock at the door, Justin looking at Padme after hearing it.

"I don't know if I'm allowed to answer," he said.

"Permission granted," she said casually.

"GUYS OPEN UP IT'S ME," Gary shouted from the other side.

Justin ran over to the door and opened it, Gary pushing past him and ending his streak of speed mere inches from Padme.

"YOUR HUSBAND'S GOING DOWN A DARK RODE WITH THE CHANCELLOR," he screamed at her.

"Gary, calm down," Justin said, hearing footsteps and then Anakin as he walked into the house. "We've got the person you're accusing here to straighten the story out."

Anakin looked at Gary with a frown.

"I don't appreciate you making claims about me to my wife behind my back," Anakin said with a calm tone.

"I don't appreciate you coming into a room I'm in and first seeing me at an angle from behind my back," Gary retorted.

Justin moved to stand in-between the two.

"I'd like to go a day without thinking someone's going to stab the other person so can you shake hands and agree not to talk about each other ever again?" Justin asked, looking at Anakin and then at Gary.

Anakin and Gary stared at each other, the former drawing his lightsaber and Gary casting a yellow aura around his hands.

"Anakin," Padme shouted her husband's name, taking him by the arm. "Calm down. He was wrong saying that about you, but he still hasn't told on us."

Anakin looked at his wife, then his lightsaber, and finally Gary, who smirked. Anakin then retracted his weapon.

"You're right," Anakin said.

"Maybe we should all just take a few minutes to calm down," Justin said, taking Gary by the arm. "We'll be back in about half an hour."

The two exited through the front door and the married couple embraced each other in their absence, a long hold accompanied by whispered words.

"Gary said something about your involvement with the Chancellor," Padme said softly.

"I'm supposed be his personal representative to the Jedi Council."

" _Supposed_?"

"They wouldn't make me a master."

"Just give them time. They'll come around if you keep being yourself. Heroic."

"That's not the main thing bothering me. When I left from the Chancellor's office, Gary told me that I wouldn't be made a master. How did he know that?"

"His friend told me about the two of them being aliens."

"Something is fishy about those two. The one that's been at the house with you keeps playing diplomat while his friend is pushing my buttons."

Outside of the home, Justin and Gary stood with folded arms and hands in pockets.

"How come you keep trying to antagonize him?" Justin asked.

"Because he isn't real," Gary told him. "I'm trying to get the most interesting plot."

"We'll see how real and interesting it gets when you get stabbed by his lightsaber. He could have killed you in there."

"I don't think we can die in this."

"There's a difference between thinking and knowing - know that you can't die before you act reckless."


	5. Chapter 5

Anakin left the home a short time afterward, and Gary and Justin came back inside. Padme was in the kitchen at the time the two stepped back inside, her motions silent and unnoticeable if not directly seen. Gary walked in ahead of Justin, the former giving Padme a clear view of his widened eyes while the latter smirked. These expressions were coupled with the two staring at Padme, who took only seconds to realize the focus being directed her way.

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

"I'M GONNA GO FOLLOW YOUR HUSBAND AND CONFRONT THE EMPEROR," Gary shouted, running out of the room, threw the front door of the house, and ascending to the sky before departing in a matter of moments.

Justin's eyes peered in the direction Gary had sped away through, concurrently with his mind wondering what the first words out of his mouth would be following such an exit.

"Looks like it's you and me again," Justin said.

"Can you stop your friend? He's going to upset Anakin," Padme replied.

"I oppose what he's doing, but I understand his practice."

"What do you mean?"

"With the hidden cameras I told you about, we saw a future where Anakin turns to the Dark Side."

Padme looked into his eyes and seemed to trust his seriousness.

"Maybe that only happens in that world," she said. "The Anakin I know would never do that."

"I hate to doubt your views on him, but didn't he slaughter an entire village because some of them killed his mom?"

She looked at Justin with a neutral expression that seemed to hide her mind recalling the event and how it figured into what he was claiming would happen later on.

"And not just the men, but the women. And the children too."

"You've made your point."

"I'm not trying to put you down or make you think he's some incoming villain. I'm telling you what we saw, and what we don't want to see here."

At the time of this interaction, Gary had neared the Galaxies Opera House in the Uscru District. He flew above the building for several minutes in silence, seeing Anakin walk outside. Gary descended to the ground and ran behind Anakin, who overheard loud footsteps coming closer to him with each tap against the ground.

"What happened?" Gary asked, panting. "Other than you talking to Palpatine."

"We were watching the Mon Calamari Ballet," Anakin answered. "We talked about the Jedi Council."

"And Dark Plagueis, and preventing death."

Anakin stared at him for a moment as though debating to confirm what the film itself did.

"That's right. I don't suppose you'll tell me how you keep finding out what I'm doing and saying."

"If I thought it would do you any good, I would. You don't want to listen to me. You just want to keep trying to find ways to save Padme, no matter how unethical it is, and that's going to be your end."

Anakin ignited his lightsaber.

"I've let you talk down to me," He said, darting the laser sword closer to Gary, "but you won't come in the way of me saving her or my child. No one and nothing will."

"Except yourself."

Anakin withdrew his lightsaber and turned his back to Gary, who balled his fists.

"I'm going to prepare for a meeting with the Jedi Council later today," Anakin said, walking away slowly while doing so. "Between now and after that, I don't want to ever see you at my house or around my wife again."

Justin was sitting in the kitchen at the Skywalker home at the time of that last comment being made, noticing that Padme was making some noise in her bedroom. He sat in place for a few moments as if considering whether to check on her and peaked into the room, the door having been left open by her. Padme was sitting on her mattress and staring out the window. Her face was concealed from the angle by which Justin viewed her.

"Padme," Justin called her name lightly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm doing about as well as I can considering what you just told me," she answered. "I really, really don't want it to be true."

"I didn't either but pretending it isn't a possibility won't prevent it from happening."

"So that's why you and your friend came here. To stop him from going down that path."

"That's pretty much it. Neither of us was a fan of blackmailing you but we figured it was the only way to be so intimately involved with events."

"How long are you going to stay?"

"However long it takes to make sure this story ends decently. The version of it that exists in our world is...bittersweet to say the least."

"But why do all this for a world that isn't yours?"

"When you can make a change, make it. Gary and myself are both that way and even though we might have something awful happen to us while here, we're willing to risk it."

The front door of the house slammed open, Anakin walking inside while Justin and Padme moved from the bedroom to see him. Padme instantly hugged her husband and Anakin gave a smirk to Justin.

"I see you've been keeping my wife company," he said.

"I've been trying," Justin answered. "Only she can tell you if I've been successful or not."

"You have," Padme said while placing her head against Anakin's chest.

"That friend of yours has to go. He's either not coming back here or going to wherever you two came from. I'm tired of seeing him, hearing his voice, or thinking about him."

"What did he do?"

"Your friend...is a pest. I don't like those."

"They sound like the pests you find in sand."

"What?"

"Nothing. I'll talk to him the next time I see him. There has to be something we can work out here."

"He can go away. Forever. There's the solution."

Justin stared into Anakin's eyes and nodded his head.

"What did Gary do to him?" He thought to himself.


	6. Chapter 6

Gary found himself hovering around in the sky, his eyes staring to the ground as though in search of something or someone. Surely it was not his best friend who had traveled there with him and had remained in the same location since the pair arrived. Gary ended his flight upon his sight of a star destroyer, lowering himself to stand inches away from the aircraft. The jet was mostly red with blue circles on its wings that had a slight chipping. Gary stepped closer to the aircraft and placed his hand on it, opening the cockpit and moving to sit inside.

"Who leaves a plane unlocked in the middle of nowhere?" Gary asked himself.

He sped away in the jet with little fanfare, his arms flailing around while the ship sored through the sky. Justin was sitting at the kitchen table with Padme when the sound of an engine hovering above the home.

"Do you hear that?" Justin asked Padme.

Without her answering, he sprang from the table and went through the window, levitating in the air and ascending higher into the sky after catching a glimpse of the jet, moving near its cockpit and seeing Gary sitting inside.

"What are you doing?" Justin asked him.

"I'm gonna go help out Obi-Wan," Gary said. "And I want you to come with me."

"But that would mean leaving Padme alone."

"Her psycho husband doesn't want me to be around her."

"You're really scared of fighting him?"  
"Only a little bit."

"Well he trusts me around her."

"So what? She's not real."

"You're going to admit to being scared of what he'll do to you while calling his wife a fictional character in the same breath?"

Gary sped off. Justin flew back into the house through the same window, closing it behind himself.

"What was that?" Padme asked him.

"Gary," Justin answered. "He's going off on some Jedi adventure. He's trying to stay away from you per Anakin's request."

"Oh, well, he doesn't have to if he can keep from getting caught."

"But that would be against the orders of your husband."

"Yeah but he doesn't bother me, and I'm the one that he would be around."

Justin looked at Padme as though to secure she was serious in her comments directing disobedience from Anakin.

"Seems you have a more independent streak than I would have thought."

"You didn't think I just sat around and did nothing, did you?"

"Not necessarily. I figured you would have been less likely to do anything that wasn't conforming, in fear that something bad could happen to you while you're pregnant."

"I could see where you would think that, but I can't just stand by. Even if this slows me down, I'm not going to let it cripple me."

Around the same time as this interaction occurred, Obi-Wan entered the final stages of his fight with General Grievous on Utapau, knocking Grievous to the ground and ripping into the latter's chest plate. This gesture exposed Grievous's living organs, who proceeded to attack Obi-Wan and toss him over a ledge. Obi-Wan hung for a few moments, using the Force to retrieve a blaster in the ownership of Grievous and shoot into his organs. This was followed by Grievous's organs bursting into flames, preceding his eyes, and the entirety of the general's body falling to the ground. Obi-Wan placed his hand to his forehead and rubbed away sweat he had obtained in his movements through the fight. The star destroyer containing Gary pulled up on the side of Obi-Wan, who held his lightsaber in hand as though prepared for a potential fight, lessening his worry when Gary removed himself from the cockpit.

"I've come to provide physical assistance," Gary declared.

"Better late than ever I suppose," Obi-Wan said. "Who are you?"

"A guy that knows some real bad stuff is gonna go down in the next few hours. I'm going to be by your side."

Obi-Wan seemed to be trying to read in-between the lines.

"I'll protect you," Gary promised. "I would recommend that you go get Grievous's ship and get out of here."

"Why would I do such a thing?" Obi-Wan asked.

"The clone troopers aren't really your friend or mine or anyone else that isn't Palpatine."

"I'm supposed to believe that after fighting with them for years?"

"Well you'll come to that view after they fire at you."

Gary returned to the star destroyer and the jet levitated just above the Jedi, who walked away.

"Seeing as how the plot calls for him to survive," Gary thought to himself, "me retreating won't bother anything."

Gary flew in the opposing direction to where he last saw Obi-Wan step. The entirety of his flight off the planet had him little concerned for Obi-Wan's safety, knowing the latter survived the events he was privy to as a viewer of the film, but rather concerned about that of Mace Windu.

"I sure hope the guy with the purple lightsaber isn't Pikachued," Gary said.

At the same time, Justin and Padme are eating together in her kitchen.

"I wanted to ask you something," Justin said to her.

"What is it?" She asked him.

"Do you think Anakin would ever become evil?"

"No."

"I should rephrase that. Do you think Anakin would ever become evil unknowingly because he thinks what he's doing is helping you?"

She placed her hand over her head and looked to the table, then back to Justin.

"Where is this coming from?" She asked him.

"I'm just curious about how far you think he would go for you," Justin answered.

"Curiosity doesn't make you think someone's villainous."

"I know you think the world of him, but his view of you in the same way might make him go bad. It's twisted but terribly correct."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore."


	7. Chapter 7

Gary parked his star destroyer several inches away from the building containing Chancellor Palpatine's office. He flew to the window that he remembered the Mace Windu and Palpatine lightsaber duel culminating near, seeing the shattered glass that he was familiar with from viewing the film. Gary could now see Mace Windu while the latter was hovering over Palpatine with his lightsaber and Anakin stood near the two.

"He's too dangerous to be kept alive," Mace shouted.

Gary flew through the window and moved to stand in between Anakin and the others. Gary looked into Anakin's eyes and with his back turned, missed Mace Windu briefly giving him a glance. Even Palpatine, as calm as he was during most things, was taken aback by the appearance of a young man with the ability to fly.

"Who are you?" Mace asked.

"A guy that wants to stop some bad stuff from going down," Gary said.

"Don't listen to him. He's come to cause trouble," Anakin shouted to Mace, Gary turning to Anakin while the latter frowned at him, "like he always does."

"I think I've been misjudged. I just wanted to voice the opinion that you shouldn't kill Palpatine."

Mace stared into Gary's eyes and then back at Palpatine, who appeared to be defeated and fearing for his life.

"Noted," Mace said, launching his lightsaber at Palpatine.

"No," Anakin shouted, shoving Gary out of the way and slicing off Mace's arm with which he held his lightsaber.

Palpatine unleashed a flurry of lightning toward Windu, tossing him outside of the window where he initiated a plummet to the ground. A wordless Gary ran past Palpatine and descended with speed, eventually colliding with Windu and catching him before pressing his feet against the surface beneath them.

"MACE," Gary shouted, Windu laying in his arms with closed eyes. "SAMUEL L. JACKSON."

Around this time, Justin was standing in the door to Anakin and Padme's bedroom, Padme standing outside and staring into the night sky. Justin walked through the room and went into the doorway between the room and the stand she was located at.

"I just wanted to say," Justin said, Padme turning back to him, "that I wasn't trying to make you mad earlier. Sometimes I don't get what people see in each other."

"So you were trying to ask me what I see in Anakin?"

"To an extent, but also warn that someone you consider good can do really awful things when convinced it is helping the people they care about."

"I understand that. I'm not that mad. It's just when I get home, after dealing with galactic matters and all kinds of creatures, I just want to relax and not be so worried. The question you poised was something that could worry me."

Justin stared at her and looked to the ground, as though his mind was enveloping him.

"Can I ask you something else?"

"Um...sure."

"How would you feel if something happened to Anakin?"

She looked back at him and then away.

"I don't even want to think about it," Padme answered. "Everything I've done outside of my work's been about him. He's my life."

"I thought your child would be."

She nodded her head.

"It is," Padme said, "but Anakin's the father."

"That's true, but you're the mother. Think about it, what would happen if something happened to Anakin? Would you find a father figure for the kid?"

"Yes. Obi-Wan, maybe Yoda. I have a couple of people that could do that. I don't want them to have to but it's a possibility."

"Are any of the potential guys not Jedi?"

Padme donned a slight smile.  
"Well if I didn't have any of them to do it, because Jedi are banned, then maybe you."

Justin looked at her with widened eyes and his chest seemed to push into itself.

"What's wrong?" Padme asked him.

"The thought of being a parent," Justin said.

"You've never thought about it?"

"I have, but I've always had this idea in my head that everyone around me would say I wasn't ready."

"Do you think you are?"

"In some ways, yes, others, no. I've always thought that I would never feel a 100% about it so I might as well try to get to 60%."

"Well you're really attentive since you always ask me if I need anything and go out and get it for me. That should count for something."

A large gust could be heard by the pair on their left side, and Gary revealed himself to be traveling at a hasty speed, holding the body of Mace Windu. He slammed his feet down on the concrete of the stand and placing himself between Padme and Justin. He placed Windu's body on the ground, and looked at Justin.

"How did that scene go?" Justin asked.

"About the same as in the movie except I caught the body," Gary said.

"What happened to him?" Padme asked.

"Your wacky husband sliced his hand off and Palpatine shot him with lightning."

"Anakin wouldn't do that."

"Whatever you want to believe. The rest of us have already seen this movie."

"So when's Order 66?"

"Not long from now. Do you think he's gonna come back here soon?"

"Probably, but I don't think we could beat him alone. And especially if Palpatine is with him."

"So we might as well just go to the Jedi Temple and see if we can stop him there."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Wait," Padme cried out. "You can't just go confront my husband and not let me have anything to say about it. I have to come along."


End file.
